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Dr. Ellen Henderson, Arts'70, PhD'76

Growing up in Deep River, Ont., Dr. Ellen Henderson, Arts’70, PhD’76 was surrounded by brilliant, well-educated minds in both her family and community. It was just assumed she would go on to get a post-secondary education.

Ellen had Queen’s in her blood with both her parents, Dr. William and Mrs. Jessie (Ward)  Henderson, members of the Class of Arts’31. Had her parents not received support through the scholarships and bursaries they did, their lives (and Ellen’s) would have been very different. Ellen’s father grew up on a small farm in Wingham, Ont., and going to university during the Great Depression was an opportunity few were able to do. Her father went on to do his master’s at Queen’s and was then invited to do his PhD at the University of Cambridge in England. He always attributed the opportunities he and the family had to the financial support he and his wife had received.

Ellen had an exciting and challenging experience when she came to Queen’s that shaped her life. Having completed her bachelor’s degree at Queen’s, then a master’s at York University, she returned to complete her PhD in politics at Queen’s in 1976 under the guidance of Prof. J. A. W. “Jock” Gunn.

She was offered a life-altering experience of being a post-doc on the Disraeli project — an internationally recognized publishing venture involving the letters of former British Prime Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881). This led to a three-decade career as a federal public servant in a variety of departments specializing in communications, marketing, and publishing.

When Ellen received a gift from an aunt, she felt she was simply a steward for the funds and decided that leaving a gift in her will was the best way to honour her family and help others get the same life-changing opportunity her parents received. Ellen’s legacy gift will create The Ellen L. Henderson Fellowship supporting graduate students in the Department of Political Studies.

The Henderson family now has few more members who are Queen’s alumni, making them a true Tricolour family.